How To Use Twitter for E-Commerce

Many think e-commerce has no place in the Twitter-verse, but look at some of the top accounts and you'll think otherwise. From a one-person startup to fortune 500 CEOs, anyone can and is using Twitter to
connect - but not all are doing it as well as they could. Let's look at some ideas on how to use Twitter for e-commerce success,
specifically to promoting products and connect with customers.

Over the weekend I saw a commercial for the new Palm
Pre that actually referenced Twitter - "233,000 people just Twittered on Twitter. 26% of you viewing this have no idea what that
means." Regardless of whether the general populace understands Twitter,
the service has millions of active users and those individuals are of the hyper-connected variety, complete with disposable income and established social networks of
like-minded individuals. That presents an exceptional opportunity for e-commerce merchants
(and even affiliate marketers) to sell products.

The problem, until now, is that there has not been any formal guidance on how to use Twitter effectively to market
actual products. Build a name for yourself, sure, but sell out your inventory of
left-handed hot pink widgets? Not a chance. Instead, those type of how-to guides tend to focus on
building a massive following and rightly so. Twitter used most effectively is as a communication
tool and a bigger audience carries with it a greater chance of exposure. With a little strategic
thinking, however, Internet retailers can use Twitter in much the same way to
sell their products, generate revenue and establish deeper bonds with their
customers.

First, Know thy Twitter-self
Perhaps one of the most important things in starting a Twitter account is
deciding what kind of account you'll have. Will you use it for one-on-one
communication with your friends and co-workers or is it more of a business
account to publicize your company? If a business account, will you be feedback
focused (pull marketing) or leverage some push marketing tactics and
announce sales and product info? Deciding early in the course of your time on
Twitter will help you yield the highest return on your time investment in
Twitter. That being said, let's look at a few practical ideas on how e-commerce
merchants can use Twitter effectively for the benefit of the bottom
line.

Perhaps the easiest way to use Twitter as an e-commerce merchant is to simply
post products and sales offers directly in the tweet. Many users of Twitter do
this regularly and do some with some success. While it does work, there are
other way to maximize your user of Twitter as an Internet retailer:

Align Product Mention Tweets with a Current EventWhile tweeting about the products you have sold requires little in the way
of creativity, it does give your followers an opportunity to know what is being
sold and works as a way to drive traffic. It really works if you can craft an
interesting tweet. One way to do that is to align your tweets with a current
event. For example, tweet that you've sold twice as many of a certain product
and find an possible explanation - whether it's a review you've received on a
website, or a popular commercial that got people thinking about the need for
that product, etc. Followers get exposed to the product and learn about your
place in the greater Twitter-verse.

Creating Deep Connections With Shoppers/Customers/ConsumersConsumers want a reason to shop from merchants - so give it to them.
Customer service and the sense that merchants are genuinely focused on providing
a positive customer experience is certainly always Tweet-worthy. For example, be transparent and tweet that you just accepted a return for a broken
product (not your fault, of course) or post a frequently asked question that you
received via email. Listening to the conversation that is occurring at Twitter
can be time-consuming, but is vital to your success as it provides you with powerful
information on areas of potential improvement. Are all your shipped items
arriving broken? If so, maybe a new delivery person is in order. Are shoppers
confused about the way pricing information is presented? Correct it and you may
increase the bottom line without even trying. While automated Twitter tracking
tools like TweetBeep are excellent ways to track brand or product mentions, even
using Twitter's search feature helps to identify customer kudos and complaints
(and areas of improvement) and goes a long way to keeping customers and keeping
them happy.

Tweet about New Merchandise You're PlanningOne of the great marketing motivators is the concept of exclusivity. That's
why we all so often fall into the trap of the endless beta product. If only a
handful of people have access, it must be worth more, right? Posting messages on
Twitter about upcoming merchandise you're planning (or even going as far as to
let them influence product design) gives users this sense of exclusivity without
all the obligation of actually turning it into a real product. Say for example
that you're at the water cooler with a product designer and come up with an
interesting idea. Post it on Twitter and ask if others would find that a
valuable addition to your product line. The connectedness that users feel with
you (the Twitterer) and the brand can be monetized, but it requires a deep and
genuine connection. Twitter can help make that initial connection and make the
connection stronger.

Tweet about Your Daily Business LifeWhile it may seem mundane to you, there are Twitter users out there that
will find it interesting to know that you are on a sales call with your
accountant. I'm not one of them, but they do exist. Finding a way to relate the
tweet back to your followers is imperative, as it humanizes you and your brand.
While "staring out the window eating lunch" might be interesting to
your co-worker, telling followers about your attendance at a Webinar or a
book you are reading related to your job shows that you are connected to them in
deeper ways than just as a product pusher alone. Think of Twitter as a means to
get connected to your audience on a deeper level and you'll earn more followers
long term.

How does your e-commerce company use Twitter?
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